Exodus 5:8-9

"And the number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words."

"The number of the bricks ..." In the KJV, this reads "the tale of bricks." "To tell" in Old English meant "to count." And the total was called the "tale."[15] (Compare our word "tally".) The counter of votes in the English Parliament is still called The Teller!

"And let them not regard lying words ..." By this order, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron "liars," not only disbelieving them, but attempting also to destroy any faith that the Hebrews had in their words.

Robert Gordon, and others, have supposed that, "Pharaoh outmaneuvered Moses and Aaron at this first meeting,"[16] but we strongly disagree with this. On the surface, yes, of course, the first round in the conflict went to Pharaoh, but there were also some very significant developments favoring the ultimate success of the mission. See under Exodus 5:14.